


The Sparks Between Us

by parttimehuman



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, Liam is a dummy bear, M/M, Magic, Merry Christmas, Rapunzel AU, Theo is a prince, obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 05:38:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17135996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parttimehuman/pseuds/parttimehuman
Summary: Liam isn't doing it for the prince, obviously. He only needs to prove that he's the strongest and bravest man in the kingdom so that Brett Talbot will finally leave him alone. That's all. He only needs to defeat a two-headed dragon and rescue Theo. No biggie.





	The Sparks Between Us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TrashWrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashWrites/gifts).



> Merry Christmas my dearest Sab! 🌟❄🎁🎅🎄  
> I was gifted your friendship this year and I couldn't be happier. Thank you for the craziness you've brought into my life. I hope you enjoy. 💖
> 
>  
> 
> Not edited because it's Christmas and I already let my family wait to finish this monster that kept begging me for words, forgive me.

“You?” 

 

The laugh that followed was high-pitched and ridiculous, making Liam’s vision go red and the vein at the side of his neck stand out from his patchy skin. He clenched his hands into fists and felt his fingernails digging into his palms, breaking the skin, drawing blood. 

 

“God knows how many honorable men in shining armor have tried and failed already,  _ little Dumbar _ . None of them could defeat the evil dragon guarding the tower. Why on earth would you of all people manage to free the prince from his prison up there? You’re not even a real knight.” 

 

At that, Liam was practically shaking from the anger that boiled hot in his blood. His name wasn’t  _ Dumbar,  _ and he wasn’t  _ that  _ little. He might not have been a knight officially, because as always, nobody knew to appreciate true talent, but there was nothing a real knight could do that he couldn’t, really. He was trained to fight, could wield a sword like few other people. He was in great shape, his upper arms looking like little tree trunks, he knew he had a knack for tactics of battle, and above all, and he took pride in it, Liam was brave. 

 

“Shut that hole in the middle of your face, Talbot! I believe it’s leaking horseshit,” Liam exclaimed as he stood from the table. “I can see no reason why I shouldn’t try to defeat the infamous dragon and free the prince. After all, I’m not a little chicken like you.” 

 

Brett Talbot paled at the comment, clenching his jaw aggressively, but only for a moment before he relaxed and leaned back in his seat. “You know what?” He asked with a smug smile. “Go ahead then, see for yourself what a failure you are. I don’t give two shits about that mysterious prince. All the most beautiful men and women of the kingdom are waiting in line in front of my bed chambers anyway. Surely, he can’t be that stunningly gorgeous. You can have him. Or, his dragon can have you, as I assume it will actually go.” 

 

Liam clenched his teeth. The prince? No, he didn’t care about the prince either. He’d heard the rumors that told of a young man of exceptional beauty, with the most magical green eyes and a smile that made the sun look weak in comparison, but it was always the same with rumors. The truth had nothing to do with them. Luckily, Liam didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, the prince captured in the tower could have been the most unsightly person in the kingdom. What counted was that his rescue would bring Liam the respect of his people, but more importantly even, the shocked and humiliated face of his nemesis Brett Talbot. 

 

Yes, it would be worth the risk to be burned to a crisp by a horrifying, two-headed dragon. 

 

*

 

“How’s this one?” Theo asked, taking a few steps back from the canvas and setting the brush down. “I think I nailed the colors this time, don’t you? Nobs?” 

 

The little dragon Norbert got up lazily from his sleeping spot in front of the fireplace, the purple scales in his back shimmering, their glossy surface reflecting the flames. He looked at Theo’s newest creation, a painting of the sunset like it was visible from the only window in their tower, let his gaze wander across the walls and over the dozens of other paintings of the exact same scene, letting out a dramatic sigh before he answered. 

 

“Brilliant,” Norbert decided. “Just like the other two billion versions of it.” 

 

Theo rolled his eyes. “Be serious, Nobs. You might be my best friend, but I’m going to need some constructive criticism if I’m supposed to actually sell my art one day.” The rest of the sentence was muttered lowly. “Once I get out of this godforsaken prison.” 

 

“You want criticism?” The dragon asked, popping a grape into its mouth. “Why don’t you paint something other than the sunset for once? Don’t you think it’s getting a little… well, boring?”

 

“What else am I supposed to paint, though?” Theo wanted to know as he stepped to the open window and looked outside, finding the same fields and country lanes as always, the same trees with the same fruits hanging from their branches, the same clouds hovering in the sky. He’d never seen any other part of the world than exactly that one. It hadn’t changed at all since he’d been a little kid, the image remaining the same on every single day of his life, only dipped in slightly changing colors. 

 

“I don’t know, man,” Norbert shrugged, “literally anything else.” 

 

“What else do I have, Nobs? You should know this. This is my whole world.” He made a gesture around the room they were in, including the window to a bigger world that Theo didn’t belong to. 

 

“The world doesn’t end where the horizon starts, Theo. It’s much bigger. Do you want to know a secret? Nobody gets to see all of it. We’re all stuck in our own little piece of it. But we can still dream. This room might have walls, and this tower might be a prison to you, but Theo?” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“Your mind is still free.”

 

“What does that even mean?”

 

“Humans,” Norbert sighed dramatically. “You’re all so tragic. Listen up, little one. They can lock you up in here all they want, but they can’t stop you from dreaming. Even if they took your brushes and all the paint away, they have no power over what’s in here.” He lightly tapped one claw against his own temple. “Or in here.” Then his heart. 

 

Theo decided to let it go. He rarely understood what exactly Nobs was talking about when he got all deep and philosophical, so he appreciated the effort and moved on, adding a few final touches to his artwork before putting it to the rest. As it was standing among all the other sunsets, Theo had to admit that they kind of did look the same in fact. 

 

Sleep didn’t come easily that night, and for once, it wasn’t related to Norbert’s snoring. First, racing thoughts kept Theo awake, and then a restless dream denied him proper peace. It wasn’t fatigue though that tortured Theo in the morning, it was an urge itching on his fingertips and burning beneath his skin, a tickle that pushed him out of bed and in front of the next blank canvas, except that this time, Theo knew the time for sunsets was over. 

 

What he painted that day was nothing he’d ever seen before. It was nothing he even knew what it looked like. It had sharp edges and soft curves, bright colors and blurred lines. It was abstract as a whole with some details that were oddly specific in his head, like something light blue and sparkling belonging in the middle. 

 

When he was done, Theo wasn’t sure he was truly done, because a feeling of restlessness stayed behind, something fluttery inside him. He didn’t know how to make his work any better, but for some reason, it didn’t feel like he’d reached the end of his efforts either. 

 

“Do you think something is going to happen?” Theo asked Norbert as they were having dinner, because he couldn’t shake the thought that the new emotion inside him bore a meaning. 

 

“Let’s hope so,” Norbert answered.

 

“Another knight coming to my rescue and ending up as breakfast for your brothers on the roof?” 

 

The dragon shook his head. Not even Norbert could see in the future, but there was something slightly magical about him, something that made him wise in a way no human could ever be, and Theo knew to respect that. 

 

“No knight this time.” 

 

Theo couldn’t say he was disappointed. None of the countless men that had come to try and free him had ever stood a chance, mostly because none of them had ever understood what it was they were doing. Theo was sick of it. He was tired of the waiting and the hopes rising every time, the violent declarations of men who were insane enough to believe they could defeat the two dragons on the roof guarding Theo, the brief sound of battle before the smell of fire and smoke. He didn’t even want a knight anyway. What was he even supposed to do with them? 

 

“Why are you smiling like that?” Theo wanted to know. “Nobs?” 

 

“Soon enough, little one,” the dragon replied. “You’ll know soon enough.” 

 

*

 

Liam didn’t have a noble stallion like many other men, and sure, he earned a mocking comment or two for the saddled moose he strapped his bags to, but what was there to do anyway other than leave for the mysterious tower beyond Beacon Hills’ preserve and return home victorious? As Liam led Dean the moose towards the trees, he told himself that he was seeing Brett Talbot’s dismissive look for the last time in his life. He’d either be successful and win their feud once and for all, or he’d end up as grilled dragon food. Either way, Brett could pretty much fuck off. 

 

The ride through the forest took more than one entire day, but it went by without any major catastrophes, and the sun stood high in the light blue sky around noon the next day, when Liam spotted the tower he’d been looking for in the distance. 

 

The stories about the two-headed dragon seemed to be incorrect, but not completely made up, as it turned out. There were in fact, two gigantic, pitch-black creatures patrolling around the roof of the tower. When they spread their wings, it almost looked like they could throw a shadow over the entirety of the kingdom, and Liam was secretly glad they didn’t give him a demonstration of what it looked like when they breathed fire. 

 

He descended from Dean’s back and stopped for a second, looking at the moose for a sign. Dean was a much closer friend to him than any human had ever been. Liam trusted his intuition. If Dean wasn’t scared of nearing the mysterious tower in spite of literal dragons guarding it, then Liam had no reason for fear either. Dean gave a light nod and they moved ahead, Liam’s hands trembling, his heart beating like a drum, but there was no going back now. 

 

*

 

“Someone’s coming!” Theo announced. “Nobs! Is this what you were talking about?” 

 

Norbert didn’t bother getting up or even looking at him. The dragon was busy filing and polishing his claws that he would later pick a pretty color for and force Theo to paint them. 

 

“Is he wearing shiny armor? Is he on the back of a mighty horse? Can you see dollar signs in his eyes?” 

 

Theo gave a huffed laugh at the sarcastic remark. “This one’s different,” he said. “No armor, just a bow and arrows on his back. And a moose carrying his bags. Can’t see his eyes yet.” 

 

Slowly, Norbert put the file down and approached the window. “Interesting,” he muttered, looking for the nearing stranger. “Indeed. Very, very interesting.” 

 

“Do you think he’s even here for me? He looks kind of lost.” 

 

“Oh, believe me, he’s here for you. He might not know it yet, but you’re all he wants.” 

 

Theo never knew if his friend was joking when he was talking like that, but there was no point is asking, so he simply accepted it. 

 

“What now?” 

 

“Patience, little one,” Norbert grinned. “Patience.” 

 

* 

 

An unforeseen turn of events occurred on that same evening after Liam had arrived at the foot of the tower. His intentions had been to simply check out what he was working with, to step a little closer and search for an entrance, finding only the window up high, contemplating how impossible it would be to climb the walls.

 

It turned out that getting to the prince in one piece wasn’t the difficult part of his mission. For some reason, neither of the devilish creatures on the roof did any more than look down at him in annoyance while Liam used the bows he’d brought to climb the tower wall. He stopped just beneath the little balcony attached to the building and fished in the bag that was strapped to his back for the treats he’d brought for the dragons, observing with amusement that they seemed to have the same taste as his moose. 

 

Liam wasn’t stopped from swinging himself over the railing and landing on his butt on the balcony, sitting there and staring into the window, catching his breath. He could feel two pairs of eyes on him that were glowing red like embers, and somewhere deep down there was a fear of what they could do to him if he made one wrong movement, but Liam’s mind reeled and spun as he spotted a human face peeking from the corner of the window curiously.

 

Of course, he didn’t notice at all how the green eyes he was looking into were indeed the most beautiful ones he’d ever come across, just like everyone had always said, and how all the rest of the young man’s appearance fit the general theme of perfection just as well, from his flawless hazel brown hair to the kissable lips to the broad shoulders and… 

 

He needed to focus. 

 

Liam hadn’t come for the prince, and he wouldn’t change all of his principles just because of a pretty face. After all, he was trying to teach stupid Brett a lesson, not irrevocably fall in love with a prince. Who would want that anyway? 

 

“My, my!” A deep voice echoed through the air all of a sudden. It made Liam jump with surprise, if only because it didn’t seem to come from the prince’s lips. “And who do we have here, huh?” A third dragon approached the window from inside, standing next to the prince and looking Liam up and down skeptically. That one seemed a lot smaller than the two dragons on the roof, its scales shimmering purple instead of black, but its eyes were even more unfriendly. 

 

“Uh, ahem, my name is Liam,” he answered. 

 

“Liam,” the dragon repeated, dragging the name out and making it sound weird. “And what brings you here, if I may ask? Would you maybe like to acquire an art piece?” 

 

“Nobs!” The prince exclaimed, rolling his eyes. He turned to Liam then, smiling. “Hello, Liam. My name is Theo.” 

 

Liam didn’t know what to answer. Frankly, with how easy it had been to get all the way up where he was, and the prince greeting him so politely, he was a little thrown off and highly unsure of how to proceed. What was he supposed to say?  _ Hello Theo, nice to meet you. Would you care to come out of this place that you’ve spent your entire life in and ride into the sunset with me instead? My moose is ready and waiting, let’s go.  _

 

“Uh, Theo,” he stuttered instead, “great. So, uh, I’m not sure how exactly this works, but just to be clear on that, we have a common goal here, right? I need to get you out of that tower for… well, reasons, and you can’t possibly want to stay in it forever, right?” 

 

Theo tilted his head and gave him a funny look. “That’s right, I guess.” 

 

Liam let out a sigh of relief. Apparently, he didn’t have to fight two dragons to the death, and he didn’t have to convince a stubborn prince of his rescue plan either. But what was the catch then? 

 

“Awesome,” Liam declared confidently, getting up from the ground and onto his two feet, watching as Theo’s gaze rose along with him, staying on his face the whole time. “Then why don’t you pack your things and get out here?” 

 

It was the violet dragon who snorted and sneered in response. “Did you hear that, little one? ‘Why don’t you pack your things and get out there?’ What a comic this one is, don’t you think? Humans, I’m telling you. Such tiny heads, such tiny brains.” The creature made a dismissive gesture and turned away, Theo remained standing at the window. 

 

“You have to excuse Norbert,” the prince spoke softly. “He’s very direct. To answer your question, Liam: I can’t. There’s a magic spell preventing it.” He reached out with one hand until his fingers were halfway between him and Liam, but then a sizzling spark at his fingertip caught Liam’s eye. It was like Theo was touching an invisible barrier separating them, earning an electric jolt. 

 

“Shit,” Liam mumbled, stepping forward and reaching out as well. He only meant to examine the exact conditions, but he miscalculated the distance terribly and ran face first into the force field, being electro shocked almost into unconsciousness and hurled several feet away, almost off of the balcony again. 

 

“Told you,” he could hear Norbert’s comment as he shook the dust off and got up again. “Not the brightest, this one. What a little dummy bear.” 

 

His words stung a little, and Liam decided to somehow find a way to get through the magic barrier and free Theo. He only needed some time to think of a plan.

 

* 

 

Instead of sleeping, Theo found himself painting again. This time, he couldn’t tell what exactly it was that was coming to live on the canvas in front of him. It was an ocean of colors, its waves stirring in different directions, light shining upon them, flower petals swimming on the surface like the storm wasn’t touching them. He stopped when there was way less paint on it than usually, but something told Theo that it was done, perfect. He didn’t want to change a thing about it. 

 

It felt weird to be having Liam around. Well, not exactly around, but camping on the balcony. It was truly fascinating, how the boy seemed completely uninteresting to the dragons on the roof. They’d never let anybody just stay so close to Theo over night, would have chased anybody else far away by now, but what Nobs had predicted and Theo had felt in his heart when he’d first saw him proved to be true about Liam. He was different. 

 

*

 

“Good morning!” 

 

A cup of what smelled like coffee was being placed on the windowsill as Liam awoke. He could see the sparks shimmering around the mug and grabbed it carefully, avoiding any further electric jolts assaulting his body. 

 

“What in the hell is this?” Liam demanded, holding the mug in his hands. “Are you seriously telling me you have one of these super ugly Christmas mugs? You sure have bad taste for someone who looks so…”

 

He’d spoken without thinking, starting a sentence that he didn't know how to end. Firstly, because a couple of dozen people had probably told Theo before how exceptionally beautiful he was, and Liam wasn’t simply going to get in line. But mainly, of course, it was because Theo’s looks didn’t matter at all, had nothing to do with Liam’s resolutions to make his mission a success. Absolutely not. 

 

If only there hadn’t been such a strangely intense and quiet moment between Theo and Liam then, their gazes meeting and Liam’s heart doing the most treacherous thing possible, skipping a beat when there was absolutely no reason whatsoever to do so. If only he’d kept his mouth shut to begin with, taken the coffee and thanked Theo politely, but it was just Liam’s luck that things would go differently than planned. 

 

*

 

“What are you doing?” Liam wanted to know. He was taking a break from his experimental studies. Basically, what that meant was that he was done pushing inanimate objects through the magical barrier, having accepted the fact that no matter how, he wouldn’t be able to make his own hand follow through as well. 

 

“Painting,” Theo replied shortly. He appeared to be highly concentrated on his work, his eyes not leaving the canvas once, tongue darting out of his mouth most of the time. Admittedly, it was a great thing to watch. The prince seemed peaceful, like he was in his element completely, his arm moving gracefully, only tiny flicks of his wrist moving paintbrushes. He seemed to know what he was doing, and Liam found himself in envy of that. 

 

“Are you saying it was you who painted all those too?” He peeked inside Theo’s prison that really looked more like a home, pointing his finger at the walls covered in different versions of the sunset. All of a sudden, Liam wondered why he’d never pictured a prince having any talents. Clearly, Theo was more talented than he himself would ever be. 

 

Theo reacted only with a shrug of his shoulder, speaking in a low and calm voice that somehow and without Liam’s brain’s permission made the hairs stand from his skin all over his body. 

 

“Gotta pass the time somehow, right?” 

 

*

 

On day three since Liam, Theo was secretly grateful for the invisible wall, not because it was keeping him from Liam, which he very much hated, but because it prevented Liam and Nobs to end up in a fist fight. 

 

“Oh no,” Liam exclaimed, a strange grin on his face saying  _ oh yes _ , “I accidentally dropped one of your precious Christmas mugs by complete accident without meaning to at all.” 

 

“Enough!” Norbert declared as a reaction. “The dummy bear needs to go! Now!” 

 

Theo almost wished they’d both leave him alone as he explained to Liam that the collection of ugly Christmas mugs originated from a time when Nobs had used to pretend like he was interested in Theo’s hobbies, wanting to try out painting too, except Theo hadn’t given him an actual canvas of his to experiment. Norbert had painted all the white cups in the cupboard instead, for some reason deciding that they all needed a proper Christmas look. It was very obvious that the purple dragon was not as aspiring artist, but Theo knew that he wouldn’t accept to hear that from Liam. 

 

“I’m sorry I upset your friend,” Liam apologized later, when Norbert was still sulking somewhere inside and Theo and Liam were sitting back to back with only a wall and some magical sparks between them.

 

“Oh, it’s okay. I don’t think there’s any way to really be around him without upsetting him every once in a while.” 

 

The boy outside on the balcony let out a little laugh that made something inside Theo’s chest feel like it was melting. “Really? You too?” Liam asked. 

 

“Oh, countless times,” Theo replied truthfully. “He and I have been alone together for basically all my life. I don’t think you can love someone that fiercely without also hating them a little.” 

 

“You’ve never been outside?”

 

“Never,” Theo answered, thinking back to more hopeful days, when he would still flip through the pages of books about all the most beautiful places in the world, looking at pictures of Santorini and the fjords of Norway and the Niagara falls, allowing himself to visit them in his dreams. 

 

“If you could travel anywhere you want, where’d you go first?” 

 

Theo opened his mouth to speak before he thought better of it and pressed his lips shut. He’d never considered the question, if he was being honest, simply because the possibility had never seemed real. “I don’t know.” He felt tempted to name one of the famous places in the world thats names had stuck with him, but then he was never sure if there wasn’t a more interesting place to go, so he couldn’t bring himself to pick one. 

 

*

 

The second ugly Christmas mug that Liam ruined was an honest to god accident. Nobs didn’t believe him, and he was also still not allowed to call the dragon Nobs out loud, since the nickname was “reserved only for close friends”, which meant Theo, but Liam retaliated at least in his head. Theo didn’t seem mad though, not about the mug, and Liam’s bad conscience wore off quickly. 

 

All of his efforts to break the spell that prevented him to free Theo remained not only without success, but also completely unhelpful. 

 

“Doesn’t it ever make you angry?” Liam asked Theo one night, when they were once again sitting in their usual position, Liam looking at the horizon and Theo looking at a sketchbook. The frustration was slowly getting to him, making him feel once more like the world was an unfair place, because he was genuinely trying his best, and he had all the good intentions, or wasn’t that right? He only wanted what was best for both Theo and him. So why wasn’t the universe rewarding him? What was he doing wrong?

 

“Angry?” 

 

“Yeah, angry. Like when something doesn’t work, and you get mad. When you want to leave your tower to go outside and find new inspiration for your art, but you’re doomed to stay inside. Aren’t you mad at whoever is keeping you here? Aren’t you angry with all the men who have claimed to be the strongest and bravest and most skilled in the kingdom and then failed to free you? Don’t you hate that the magic that keeps you imprisoned exists to begin with? Don’t you just… hate it sometimes?” 

 

“Of course I do,” Theo answered. “Or, I used to. Anger doesn’t help me though.” 

 

“But then what does help?” 

 

“Art,” Theo replied, “and my best friend in all the world always being there by my side. Ugly Christmas mugs and bad jokes and terribly failed attempts at cooking. Sunsets and sunrises. And dreams.” 

 

“What do you dream of?” 

 

“I’m not so sure anymore.” 

 

“What does that mean?” Liam wanted to know.

 

“If only I knew.” 

 

*

 

Theo dreamed of blue eyes and a held out hand that wasn’t his for the taking. He spent an hour or so standing at the window and watching Liam sleep on the balcony, the moon shining on his skin making him look strangely angelic. It was calm and innocent and peaceful for a long while, but the longer he was watching Liam, tracing the lines that formed his beautiful face with his eyes, his heart longing for closeness, the more Theo understood what Liam had meant when he’d talked about anger. 

 

Theo got angry. It started with the force that was keeping him from reaching out to touch Liam, and then he was mad at Liam for coming in the first place, and at himself for getting his hopes up for Liam to be different after he’d known so much better, and at the world for being the way it was, and his parents for having him, and Nobs for not accidentally dropping him when he’d been a baby, and it went on until Theo hated everything, especially those things he’d spent a lifetime telling himself he could live without. 

 

* 

 

Liam almost missed the ugly Christmas mug that suddenly didn’t appear on the windowsill one morning. 

 

“Theo?” He called for the prince with uncertainty in his voice. The silence gave him anxiety. “Nobs?” 

 

“You’re disrupting by manicure, little dummy bear,” came the immediate answer. 

 

“Where’s Theo? What’s up with him?” 

 

“Busy, and now shush.” 

 

“Can I get a coffee?” Liam was about ninety percent sure the answer would be no, but he’d gotten used to his daily dose of caffeine, and it was hard to start the day without it. 

 

“Haven’t I sacrificed enough for you?” Norbert replied with an exaggerated sigh. 

 

“I’m not sure. What exactly was it again that you sacrificed for me?” 

 

“If I’ve been counting correctly, eleven wonderful Christmas mugs by now. My balcony that you somehow seem to live on. Peace and silence. The sanity of my mind. Would you like me to continue?” 

 

“Nah thanks, I’m good.” In a way, Liam was thankful for Norbert to treat him just as always. It was like there was a reassuring undertone to his snippy words, letting Liam know that Theo was alright, because otherwise the dragon wouldn’t have continued their bickering. 

 

Silence settled around them, and Liam counted the bricks around Theo’s window until he couldn’t stand it anymore. 

 

“Norbert?” He asked, earning an annoyed groan. “Can you tell Theo that I miss him? It’s cool if he doesn’t want to talk today, and I don’t really need coffee either, but I hope he’s alright. And say that I’m glad I met him.” 

 

Liam wasn’t entirely sure, but he believed he could hear Theo exhaling deeply. Much more quietly, he added, “And I won’t leave without him. Ever.” 

 

*

 

“Liam?” Theo asked in a whisper. It was getting dark outside, and after spending all day hidden beneath the blanket in his bed, he felt like he needed to talk to the balcony boy again. 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“I missed you too.” 

 

* 

 

Liam was pretending to be asleep as Theo sat at the window. He knew he was being watched, and it made him shudder. Somehow, it didn’t feel strange to be living on a tiny little balcony with the only supply of food coming from Theo, and it didn’t feel strange to know that two fully grown dragons that could easily kill him in his sleep were on top of the roof at all times, only ever leaving briefly and only one at the time. He wasn’t homesick and he wasn’t tired of it. 

 

For some inexplicable reason, the strangest part about it was that Theo couldn’t join him outside to watch the stars together at night, and that Liam couldn’t climb through the window to comb his fingers through Theo’s soft looking hair, and that he knew every inch of the prince’s face but not what it felt like underneath his fingertips or the taste of his lips. 

 

He wondered if Theo was thinking about the same things while his green eyes watched over Liam. Was Theo disappointed in him? Had the other men who’d come before him been better, taller, stronger, braver? Better looking? Had Theo wanted them to manage to free him? Did he want Liam to? Did he really want it? 

 

*

 

“Hey dummy bear,” Norbert whispered on the next day while Theo was cooking, the smell of something absolutely delicious wafting through the air. It was the first time that the purple dragon had initiated a conversation, and it made Liam’s chest swell with an odd sort of pride. 

 

“What?”

 

“Wanna see something?” 

 

Before Liam could answer, Theo’s sketchbook landed in front of his feet on the balcony. 

 

“That’s Theo’s.” 

 

“I know, little genius,” Norbert sighed, “just look at what he’s been drawing, okay?” 

 

Liam didn’t want to. He knew it would be invading Theo’s privacy to just look at his drawings without explicit permission, but then again, Norbert had told him to do so, had gone out of his way to actually speak to Liam, and that had to mean something, right? No, Liam told himself, even if, that still didn’t make it okay. 

 

His resolution lasted for an entirety of five minutes before he faltered and flipped through the pages with a quickly beating heart and the butterflies in his stomach turning somersaults. 

 

What Liam found was his own face staring back at him, eyes wide and brightly shining. Theo had drawn a few dozens different versions of him. Frowning, sleeping, smiling. With his tongue peeking out or his lips pursed, with a hand in his hair and holding an ugly Christmas mug that Theo’s talent couldn’t quite capture in its disastrousness. The one Liam liked the most was one of him smiling, his eyes almost pressed shut and his nose scrunched in a funny way. It looked almost alive. 

 

“Wow,” he breathed out. He couldn’t believe how much detail Theo had put in his sketches. Every single one was a true masterpiece, even if they all showed Liam’s face. 

 

“You break his heart and I’ll break your spine, little dummy bear,” Norbert growled before he retreated, leaving Liam alone with racing thoughts and a racing heart. 

 

* 

 

It was the middle of the night when it finally dawned on Theo. He practically jumped out of bed, not knowing what crazy things his heart was doing in his chest, but they weren’t going to stop him anyway. 

 

“Liam!” He called as he sat down by the window. “Liam, Liam!” 

 

“What is it?” Liam asked, sitting up immediately, looking at him, his sleepy eyes softening as they took in that Theo was alright. 

 

“I know it now!” Theo cheered. 

 

“What? What are you talking about?” 

 

“It doesn’t matter!” 

 

“What?” 

 

“You asked me where I wanted to go, remember? If I could go anywhere I want, where would I go first?” 

 

“Yeah, so?” 

 

“I’d go with you,” Theo said simply, because it was the one undeniable truth that had settled in his heart the day that Liam had turned up in front of his tower, and now that he knew, he couldn’t keep it in anymore. “I’d go anywhere. With you, Liam.” 

 

Liam smiled that very special Liam kind of smile. The one where his lips spread into a grin slowly, and then his eyes beamed at Theo, and his entire face shone like the sun, and pure happiness radiated off of him and filled Theo’s heart, and the world wasn’t where he wanted to go anymore, because he didn’t think any further about what he wanted than Liam’s hand in his own. 

 

They stood before each other, stupidly grinning, with nothing but sparks between them, sizzling and crackling audibly. Theo raised a hand and Liam mirrored the movement until their palms were flat almost against each other, nearly touching. 

 

As the sun began to rise, for the first time in Theo’s life, a new day came with a new beginning, and sunsets weren’t his reality anymore. Liam was. 

 

The magical force field pulled at him like a magnet, the tension getting higher until it faded with a puff and a glittery cloud falling apart. 

 

Liam’s lips were on his own before he realized what had just happened, and then he felt skin beneath his fingers, warm and smooth and alive, and then hair that he tugged at to make sure it was real. Strong arms wrapped around him, lifting him off the ground and pulling him outside through the window, soft lips never leaving his own, kissing him again and again until his knees felt weak and the magic that once was his prison was replaced by a whole new magic that belonged only to him and Liam. 

 

*

 

“Are we sure we can trust that weird looking donkey?” Norbert asked skeptically. Who could have known that the purple dragon would turn up for their departure from the tower with the biggest suitcase imaginable? 

 

“That’s Dean, and he’s a moose,” Liam explained. “He kind of is to me what you are to Theo, you know, so you better be nicer to him than you were to me.” He didn’t really mean it. There were no hard feelings between them. 

 

“As long as I still get to be mean to you, little dummy bear, we’re good.” 

 

Liam rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t be mad. They were on their way out into the world, Dean and Norbert and Theo and him, the prince’s hand holding onto his own tightly, a smile dancing on his lips that Liam was absolutely in love with. 

 

“I’ll show you the world,” Liam promised. And he wasn’t even going to go back to Beacon Hills to rub it in Brett Talbot’s face. He’d long moved on from that. 

 

“You already have, my prince,” Theo answered. 

 

It would have been the perfect romantic moment, if not for the gagging sounds Norbert was making. 

 

“Oh, Norbert,” Liam said jokingly, “what would we do without you brightening the mood every day.” 

 

“You may call me Nobs now, dummy bear,” the dragon replied. 

 

And with that they left the tower behind, and with it all the dreams they believed were unattainable, because they’d found better things that weren’t out of reach at all. Liam didn’t care about fame anymore, or money, or his pride. He’d found exactly what he wanted, even if he hadn’t known before. 


End file.
